


It's A Small Galaxy After All

by DonnasDreams



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:08:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23234509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DonnasDreams/pseuds/DonnasDreams
Kudos: 1





	It's A Small Galaxy After All

  
Chapter 1  
  
"It had six foot tentacles that spun so fast my brains were scrambled! That ride was wicked fun!"  
Jamie Kirk stared across the bright orange table at one of the teenaged boys who shared her learning cycle. Fascinated by the rhythm of his words, rising and falling like ocean waves on Earth, she bit into an Elusian peach. The fruit exploded as it always did, sending bright pink juice down the front of her green velour tunic. Embarrassed, Jamie grabbed up a napkin and swabbed at the spill. Everything smeared and the front of the tunic looked as colorful as an exploding super nova. She slid a little lower in the molded chair, hoping no one - especially the five older kids - noticed.  
"Oh, Javik," the teenaged girl with bright pink dreadlocks squealed. "It sounds way stellar! Wish we could go down planet while we're here. Too bad we aren't on the Excalibur."  
"Why?" Javik asked, leaning over the girl to grab a handful of cherries from her tray. "The Enterprise is a great ship."  
The girl's mouth pouted. "Because of him! None of us are going to get within hailing frequencies of Disney Mavaroon."  
"What you talkin' about, girl?" Thomas, another boy in the group of olders, asked. "I heard we go to shore leave, the whole learning cycle."  
"My name is Centauri," the girl corrected him with a mean look in her green eyes, "and where did you hear that? From Miz Balderdash?"  
That's not her name, Jamie thought. It's Balderdasian and she's from Titan. But she didn't say it out loud. Ever since Centauri, had come aboard the ship at the last outpost, Jamie tried to stay out of her way. The older girl liked to play mean tricks and she constantly picked on the younger children. Until today Jamie had managed to stay out of Centauri's sight. Today she'd gotten shoved to the front of the feeding line and ended up at the table with the olders.  
Mr. Spock would say luck is illogical, but I sure hope mine lasts. Three of the very youngest children, littler than Jamie's nine years, cried whenever Centauri walked into a room. You gotta wonder what she did to them. Jamie slid lower in her chair and wished it was time for the middle meal to be over.  
"I heard rumors like that too," Peter answered. "Nobody comes this close to Mavaro and misses Disney Mavaroon."  
"We will," Centauri predicted with a long drawn out sigh, "because we have the lamest Captain in Starfleet. He's not going to let any of us go down planet. You'll see."  
The only other girl among the older children was named Tina. Jamie pretended not to notice the way Tina eyes widened as she looked across the table and elbowed Centauri.  
"Um, Centi . . ." she used a nickname and tried to get her attention. "Captain Kirk isn't so bad. He's one of the people who pushed for the Children in Space program. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be able to travel with our parents."  
Javik and Peter nodded agreement. Thomas spoke up too. "He be a good man, Captain Kirk. I think we go down planet soon."  
"That's how much you know," Centauri sneered. "Captain Kirk is a . . ."  
The girl said a lot of words Jamie was sure were Venuvian curse words or maybe Klingon. She hadn't known a lot of other world curses until she'd come aboard the Enterprise. It was amazing what you could learn outside of learning cycle, just by listening to the crew members. "If this was the Excalibur, we'd have a whole deck for our needs. Not be forced to march like prisoners in a chain gang from one place to another."  
"Centi," Tina hissed. "Don't you know that's the aptaincay's aughterday?"  
Captain's Daughter. Jamie knew Old Earth pig Latin just fine. Her face flamed and she slithered down until her chin almost touched the edge of the table. Why wasn't it time for middle meal to be over? I wish I was brave enough to tell her that soon the Enterprise would have a whole deck just for the children. The Captain . . . um . . .   
Daddy told me so.  
Centauri's green eyes changed from angry to pretend nice. In a sickening sweet voice, she stared at Jamie. "I just noticed you sitting there. What's your name? I've only been on the Enterprise about a week and I don't know everyone yet."  
"Jamie," she whispered.  
Yup, my illogical luck ran out. She knows I exist.  
"Jamie, what a cute name. What do your parent's do on the ship? My mother is the second in command of the science techs."  
My daddy is the Captain. Jamie knew she should just say it, but the words bunched up in her throat. Tears prickled behind her eyes and the inside of her nose burned. There was no reason to cry, or even to feel like crying, but she did. My daddy is the Captain and I wish he'd never brought me here.  
"Don't be silly, Centi," Tina helped her out. "That's Jamie Kirk, she's the Captain's Daughter."  
"Really?" Centauri gently pushed her bowl of cherries - the real kind - not synthesized green ones colored red - toward Jamie. "Is that so? It must be exciting to be a captain's daughter."  
Not really. Jamie wanted to say but kept her mouth closed tight. If there was one thing she'd learned since boarding the ship, silence kept you safe. Most of the time.  
"I bet you can ask your little old daddy anything and he'd do it, wouldn't he?" Centauri nudged the cherries closer. "Take a few. I earned them because I had the best score on the Geometry test today."  
"Cheated, you mean," Peter mumbled but Jamie wasn't sure anyone else heard. All the others ignored him.  
Timidly, Jamie took a cherry and popped it into her mouth. The sweet taste exploded inside and she savored every bite. A little more boldly, she scooped up two more before Centauri drew the bowl away.  
"Did you hear us talking about Disney Mavaroon, Jamie?"  
Jamie nodded and chewed. Just like real Earth cherries, like the kind that grew on Gramma's farm. A familiar pang of homesickness swept over her and the fruit lost it's sweet taste. Jamie almost chocked trying to swallow. I wish I was back home now.  
"Good!" Centauri clapped her pretty hands, the nail color on the tips of her fingers glinting into rainbows. "I'll bet if Jamie asked her daddy, he'd let us all go down planet. Wouldn't he, Jamie?"  
Biting a corner of her lip, Jamie didn't know how to answer. Finally, she mumbled, "I don't know."  
"Surely you can ask him, can't you?" Centauri pressed. "You'd have a grand time. Wouldn't she, Javik?"  
"Ah, sure," he agreed, "lots of amusements for you. Like the Octupus Whirl - wicked fun."  
"So will you ask him?"  
"He's awful busy," Jamie said, then a little louder so they wouldn't think she had anymore chance with the great Captain Kirk than they did, "I might not even see him before we leave orbit."  
"Don't be silly," Centauri laughed. "I'm sure you can ask him soon. Think what a great time we'd have! Disney Mavaroon is the best fun park in the galaxy. Everybody says so."  
Jamie had heard plenty about the fun park. It did sound exciting and she knew she'd love going. The only problem was she really didn't know her father well enough to ask him anything. I barely ever saw him. Even though he always tried to Sky mail or contact her by Galaxy Greetings, Jamie felt like the real Captain Kirk was a stranger she'd just met. Even when he'd come to Earth a few times to visit, he felt more like a . . . well . . . like a daddy there than he did here on the ship. On board the Enterprise, he was Captain Kirk - not Daddy.   
"So, you'll ask him if we can go down planet, Jamie?" Centauri pressed. "If you do, I'm sure I can do something nice for you someday. If not . . ." the girl lifted her hands and pretended to be just disappointed, but Jamie knew better.  
If she didn't ask Daddy about going to the fun park, Centauri would make her life miserable. Then I'll be one of the little kids who cries when she comes into a room. Jamie's tummy twisted upside down like it had when she'd been allowed to try a space ride simulator.  
"I . . . I guess."  
"Good!" Centauri clapped her hands just as the bell rang to end middle meal.  
Sure, now it rings!  
Miz Balderdasian spoke pleasantly above the chattering and shoving in of chairs. "All right everyone, clean off your eating space and line up."  
Every meal it was the same. They ate, put the trays back into the clean up slot and lined up by size. Little children first, middle sized children - like Jamie - then the five older teens. Every few weeks as they visited the outposts in Sector H, there were new classmates. Centauri had been the latest student. The learning cycle could hold up to 30 children. Jamie read the sign on the door, "Maximum Occupancy - 30" everyday. It gave her mind something to thing about besides other worrisome thoughts. Right now there were only 15 students working at half of the computer terminals.  
"Head back to the classroom," Miz Balderdasian said. "Remember to keep a straight line and your lips closed. We want the Children in Space program to be a success, don't we? None of us want to jeopardize our being here by being unruly or troublesome to the crew."  
The olders sang out, "Yesssssssssssssssss," in a taunting way.  
Jamie kept silent and thought, No. I want to go home. Only, the farm wouldn't be home anymore. Not until Gramma came back. Tears she couldn't stop filled her eyes. I will not cry.  
Just like every other day since they'd boarded, the children were expected to walk single file from their designated cafeteria to the classroom. They were not allowed to talk or bother any of the other crewmen or women going about their business. Every second of every day they were carefully supervised, guarded almost like one of them planned to storm the bridge and take over the ship. The thought cheered Jamie up just a little - imagining Centauri with her rainbow fingertips trying to take over Mr. Spock's science station. We are like prisoners.  
"Hiss, Jamie," a low voice behind startled her into turning around.  
"Quiet everyone," the teacher turned around and quelled them all with a severe glance. Usually she was kind and soft spoken, except when they had to walk the corridors. Then the teacher turned into a hand wringing, lip biting worrier - as if she was afraid someone might complain they'd done something wrong. Jamie wondered a lot just why Daddy wanted children in space if they had to be kept locked away from everyone else.  
"Jamie," Centauri hissed again. "I saw him, going down that corridor toward the recreation decks. If you hurry, you can catch him."  
Shocked, Jamie answered out loud before she could stop herself. "I can't do that!"  
"Jamie Kirk! Do you want to sit in a solitary cubicle for the rest of the afternoon? If you do, then just keep misbehaving."  
"I'm not . . . I . . . she . . ." Jamie knew she couldn't tattle on Centauri. Already the older's eyes had a mean, I'll-get-even-with-you glare.  
"You of all people should know how important this program is to Starfleet!" The scolding went on in a hushed whisper. "We must do nothing to jeopardize the importance of this, especially today."  
Jamie wanted to ask why today was any different than any other day, but didn't dare. Ever since boarding the ship, Jamie found out most things by listening in to what the grownups said - the rare times she saw any grownups other than the teacher. On the Enterprise there was a grownup world and a children's world. "Yes, ma'am."  
The group started walking back down the corridor toward the learning center. Out of the corner of her eye, Jamie saw the Captain, another man with a head of almost white hair and a magnificent reddish cape, plus two or three officers. Mr. Spock followed several steps behind the others with a recording device.  
"Ask him now," Centauri jabbed Jamie hard in the back. "He won't say no if he's with other people."  
Oh, he could say no all right and probably a lot more. Jamie had heard him holler plenty since she'd come aboard. "I can't."  
Centauri didn't take that as an answer. Shoving Jamie's back hard, she sent her in the direction of the men. Jamie tried to keep her balance but the corridor's floors had been freshly polished and she slid forward. Windmilling her arms, she fought and lost a battle with gravity, landing in a mess of arms and legs at the feet of the great Captain Kirk . . . um, Daddy.  
He didn't look too angry. In fact, he looked scared. Striding toward her, he scooped her up with a worried look on his face. "Jamie, what happened? Are you injured? Who did this to you? Lt. Simons, call Dr. Mc Coy and have him come up . . ." Pressing her against his chest, he hugged hard, squeezing the breath almost out of her. "If you're hurt, I'll never forgi . . . where's that medic!"  
"I believe, " Mr. Spock interrupted, "those are not wounds but some sort of stain."  
Daddy's eyes got wider and he stood her back down on her feet. "Stains? What's that on your shirt?"  
Blushing a bright red, Jamie stared down at her messy tunic. "Elusian peach. It squirted."  
"I see." The words were clipped and tight. "Why aren't you with the other children? You know the rules."  
"I . . . uh . . ." Again she didn't want to tattle on Centauri.   
"Simons! Go find that teacher and take my daughter with you! Tell her she's on report and I'll demand a full explanation for this." His anger snapped the man to attention, got him a brisk, "yes, Captain," and he reached for Jamie's hand.  
"But, Daddy . . ." She jerked away from the lieutenant. Since she was here, she might as well ask him about going down planet. No telling when I'll see him again. Maybe when I'm ten and that's five whole months. "I needed to ask you something. Could we . . ."  
She didn't get the rest of the words out. Daddy leaned over and grabbed her wrist tight. Pulling her almost nose to nose, he spoke quietly, demanding obedience. "What you can do is go with Lt. Simon to your classroom. I will speak with you later. You have interrupted an extremely important meeting. Now, go!"  
Too late Jamie got a good look at the man with the beautiful cape and the white hair. He also wore a clip on one shoulder, holding the folds of fabric in place. It was a silver Palamarian leaf, a symbol of royalty on Mavaro. So this must be the King of the Planet, the man the Federation wanted to impress so he'd use their shipping lines instead of the Altrusians. Miz Balderdasian had explained it all in learning cycle before they got to Mavaro. She'd also told them how important it was not to 'rock the ship' while he was on board. King Hescate did not approve of children at all. No wonder Daddy looked so spitting mad, angry enough to chew memory chips and spit them out.  
I just think I made a big mistake. What was that word teacher used? I think I just jeopardized everything.  
Ooops!


End file.
